Chapter 47 - Curiosity
“Mister, may I know who you are looking for?” The guard at the gate stopped the vehicle that was about to drive through. “My apologies, we have strict entry regulations.”
“Apologies, I’m looking for Mr Fu Li,” Fu Si rolled up the car window and flashed a smile at the young, slim-faced guard. “Is he free to meet?”
Hearing that he had come searching for Fu Li, the guard’s expression turned solemn. “Please wait for a moment, I’ll get in touch with the front desk.”
“Thank you,” Fu Si looked past the electronic gate at the gra.s.s and trees inside, as well as the imposing office building. Chang Long’s earlier occupation of land in an area like the capital enabled it to sit on land that was so large it could casually set aside a s.p.a.cious lawn to place sculptures, even though said land was extremely expensive in the current times.
“Sorry, Mr Fu. Mr Fu Li is out on field work today, he’s not at the company,” The slim-faced guard said politely. “Please come at another time or contact him in advance through his phone.”
“I understand, thank you.” Fu Si smiled and spoke to the driver, “Turn back.”
The car made a U-turn. Fu Si looked at the large, glittering words, ‘Chang Long Biotechnology Company’, and gently smoothed out the small creases in his cuffs.
“Old Xia, what happened?” A wide-faced guard walked over and asked out of curiosity.
“Yet another one who wants to worm his way into being friends with Mr Fu Li,” Slim-Faced shook his head. “Not a single way of contacting him, but still has the nerve to call himself a friend. If we went by that logic, I’m also friends with those celebrities on television.”
The wide-faced guard understood in a flash. “We don’t have control over these things. It’s said that calling each other ‘friend’ and having a meal together is enough for those humans to become bosom-buddies. How superficial.”
After finding out that the Kunpeng had gone to the East Sea to cause trouble for the azure dragons, the few bureau yao cultivators who were better at fighting instantly put together a group and went in pursuit of him. What a joke. If the dragon race and the Kunpeng were to fight in their true forms, wouldn’t a tsunami occur?
Upon arriving at the coast, Ning Xuan and Chao Yun took a look at the sea and then took two steps back. They were indeed quite good at fighting on land, but their original forms were metal, so if they were to enter the sea, they would probably sink to the bottom of the sea before they could even make a sound.
“Chao Yun and Ning Xuan will protect the magic formation at the coast. Wei Cang and Fu Li will go down with me,” Zhuang Qing glanced at Wei Cang. This new employee hadn’t spoken much since he joined the management bureau, though he was very dependable when it came to work. “Are you scared of water?”
“I’m okay,” Wei Cang nodded. “No major problems.”
Zhuang Qing looked at Fu Li. “What about you?”
Fu Li glanced at the water a few times. “I haven’t been to the bottom of the sea to play before. Is the dragon palace nice to look at?” White Ape had told him that the palaces the dragon clans lived in was built by stacking up gems, which made for a beautiful sight. This was why the building they lived in was often called ‘Crystal Palace’.
Seeing Fu Li’s eagerness and curiosity, Zhuang Qing knew that his concern was wasted. “Let’s go.” He took the lead and jumped into the ocean, transforming into a dragon that emitted a golden glow. He submerged himself in the seawater.
In response, Fu Li and Wei Cang jumped in. Fu Li patted Wei Cang’s shoulder underwater and then pointed at the golden dragon in front of them.
Confusion was written all over Wei Cang’s face. What did that mean?
With a shift of Fu Li’s legs, his entire person flew forward like an arrow. He reached out and grabbed a hold of the hair on the dragon’s neck. In the water, what creature could possibly be faster than a dragon? He could save effort by hitching a ride on the dragon; there was no need to strain himself.
Wei Cang: …
He thought that the boss would shake Fu Li off, but he allowed Fu Li to hold onto him after a shake of his head.
He changed into his original form and chased after Zhuang Qing and Fu Li as if his life depended on it. After meeting the boss’ golden, severe eyes, he hadn’t dared to stretch out his claws, leaving him with no choice but to exert a herculean effort. Even then, there was still a great distance between them. At least… he didn’t lose them.
The water was already pitch-black when they reached the depths of the ocean. Zhuang Qing resembled a large golden lantern that illuminated their surroundings. The occasional fish would swim past them and Fu Li couldn’t help but cover his eyes. He had thought that an appearance like the Suanyu’s was already sufficiently ugly but hadn’t expected there to be fishes in the sea that were a hundred times uglier than the Suanyu. With these ugly deep-sea fishes as a comparison, the dragon race no longer seemed as ugly to Fu Li.
When they were about to reach the dragon palace, Zhuang Qing transformed into his human form. Turning his head, he looked at Fu Li, who was still gripping the hair on the back of his head. “You want me to carry you over?”
“There won’t be a need for that,” Fu Li let go of Zhuang Qing’s hair, even helping him to tidy it up.
Zhuang Qing watched him carry out the series of small movements. “Are you planning to enter only after the Kunpeng has wrecked the Crystal Palace?”
“Am I such a yao?” Fu Li turned and forcefully slashed through the black seawater, revealing the resplendent and mystical dragon palace behind a barrier. There were glowing jellyfish, mermaids, weapon-toting guards of the aquatic races with panicked expressions, and pretty coral agate.
As well as… a monstrous fish who was battling fiercely in the air with azure dragons.
Under the monstrous fish’s attacks, the majestic azure dragons fell with a whoosh, like noodles thrown into the pot to cook. The monstrous fish didn’t relent because of this. With a flick of his tail and a smash of his head against the palace eaves, a huge chunk of the palace crashed down at once.
Under the monstrous fish’s strikes, the legendary indestructible dragon palace resembled a castle made out of sand – one that crumbled at a single touch.
“Zhuang Qing daren,” A few guards noticed Zhuang Qing, their faces immediately lighting up. “Quick, please help rein in this monstrous fish.”
Fu Li inwardly shook his head. The aquatic races were truly deplorable nowadays. Even after they had been beaten up to this extent by the Kunpeng, they still didn’t know his true form. He stopped Zhuang Qing. “Don’t act, I’ll go.”
These azure dragons had never once been friendly to Zhuang Qing, yet they still wanted his help. Even he felt disgusted for Zhuang Qing.
Zhuang Qing glanced at the hand in front of his chest that blocked his way. After a moment of silence, he nodded.
“Zhuang Qing daren, this is…” The guards didn’t understand why Zhuang Qing would let a person of unknown ident.i.ty take action while he remained still when things had already progressed to this point.
Zhuang Qing shot an icy glance at them. They tactfully shut their mouths.
At this time, they were the ones requesting for help, so they couldn’t go overboard with their requests. Moreover, Zhuang Qing daren’s gaze was truly too scary. They feared that saying another word would enrage this Dragon Lord.
“Kunpeng daren,” Seeing that the Kunpeng was on the verge of turning the dragon palace’s main door into bits and pieces, Fu Li went forward and stopped him. “If you have something to say, we can talk it out. How is this necessary…”
“Hmph,” The Kunpeng looked at the dragons lying on the ground. Changing into his human form, he stood on top of a dragon’s head. “I heard you guys want to cause trouble for me?”
The several dragons on the ground were rolling around in pain, completely unable to answer the Kunpeng’s question. The dragon that the Kunpeng was stepping on was in an even more miserable state. He had originally also been rolling around in pain, but after being stepped on by the Kunpeng, he didn’t dare to move. If he continued moving, he might lose the chance to ever move again in the future.
“Kunpeng daren, let it be, let it be,” Fu Li went forward and saluted the Kunpeng. “If you have something to say, we can talk it out. There’s no need for force.”
The Kunpeng pushed Fu Li to the side and released the dragon beneath his feet. “Those who want to report me, stand forward.”
Not a single dragon dared to move. At this moment, the dragon palace’s entrance was so quiet the drop of a pin could be heard.
“Kunpeng daren,” A young man dressed in a white robe walked out of the palace door. He saluted the Kunpeng. “Kunpeng daren, please calm down.”
“It’s you?” The Kunpeng recognized him as the useless dragon that had been sent flying that night by a single palm. He said in disdain, “Such pettiness in front of this Kunpeng. I’ll give the management bureau face this time and leave you with your lives. Otherwise, your azure dragon clan will look like this door.”
He raised a palm high up into the air and the door to the dragon palace turned into dust.
“I can swallow tens of your ancestors in one mouth, you guys are worth nothing,” The Kunpeng didn’t give any face to the azure dragon clan. “Your ancestors can still be considered somewhat courageous – even if they couldn’t beat the other party, they would still go all-out and risk their lives. But this generation of yours only knows how to use these small tricks. Who knows where you picked up all these tricks?”
Qing Yan had been well-regarded for three thousand years. Not once had he been the subject of such humiliation. Even if Zhuang Qing’s att.i.tude towards the dragon clan was cold, the most he would do was remain silent. When had he behaved like the Kunpeng, speaking without the slightest degree of mercy?
“Many thanks to Kunpeng daren for the guidance.” Qing Yan bowed towards the Kunpeng before turning his head and thanking Fu Li, “Many thanks to Fu daoyou.”
On the surface, if not for Fu Li extending a helping hand and holding the Kunpeng back, there was a possibility that the Kunpeng would have destroyed the entire Crystal Palace. However, the Kunpeng came looking for trouble at the dragon palace just after they reported the case to the management bureau. Clearly, their dragon clan was nothing in his eyes.
Had the management bureau not helped?
They had.
Was it effective?
Of course it was. At least, no dragons had died.
From the perspective of the other yao, the powerful azure dragon clan had been bullied by the Kunpeng to this extent. For the management bureau to have protected them, they had to have put in considerable effort as well. However, Qing Yan understood very well that this incident was the result of the Kunpeng and Fu Li colluding with each other.
Qing Yan suspected that there had to be some sort of hidden secret or link between the Kunpeng and Fu Li. Otherwise, why would the Kunpeng be so willing to remain in the management bureau?
What need was there for an ancient great yao with such profound cultivation to give the management bureau face when doing things? Although Qing Yan appeared outwardly deferential, he was already inwardly thinking about the chaos the future yao world would be in. He turned his head, glancing at Zhuang Qing, who was standing at the side. Zhuang Qing raised his head and looked at him as well.
Although he and Zhuang Qing were of the same race, there were past grievances between them.
If not for Zhuang Qing, the dragon who joined with the nation’s fate would have been him. The azure dragon clan had exerted a great amount of physical and mental effort, to the point of even inviting the elder most proficient at divination to foretell the moment at which the heavenly chance would descend. However, despite foretelling it, the nation’s fate had already joined with Zhuang Qing by the time he rushed there.
He was the most naturally talented dragon in the azure dragon clan. At the moment of his birth, there had been an auspicious light, and his features were characterized by good fortune. The entire dragon clan had said that given the degree to which the humans of this land revered dragons, a member of the dragon race would definitely become the dragon of national fate, and this dragon would be him.
Therefore, he knew how to smile in a way that would make it easier for him to obtain the humans’ favor, and also knew which aspect of dragons humans were most fond of. Yet, heavenly law was unjust and actually gave this great chance to a mixed-blood dragon.
What a laughable matter. He actually couldn’t compare to a hybrid dragon, a dragon whose veins were filled with dirty blood. How could the lowly, powerless humans compare to the n.o.ble dragon race?
“Dragon Lord Qing Yan,” Zhuang Qing walked over and stood in front of Qing Yan. “Your complexion doesn’t seem very good, take care of your health.”
“Many thanks to Zhuang daoyou for the concern,” Qing Yan gave him a smile. “Our clan’s people has not been sensible and created trouble for Zhuang daoyou.” This time, he no longer called Zhuang Qing chief, not did he call him Dragon Lord. Instead, he merely used the term ‘daoyou’.
“It’s fine, I’m used to it,” Zhuang Qing looked at the crystals scattered on the ground, his face resembling a stone block of ice.
The dark and shabby house, the dragons and aquatic yao cultivators who had mocked him, as well as the lofty dragon palace – all of these made up the extremely boring parts of his memories.
“Zhuang Qing,” Fu Li walked over to Zhuang Qing. “The azure drgaon clan is willing to reconcile with the Kunpeng and doesn’t require the Kunpeng to compensate them. This matter…”
“For such civil disputes between yao cultivators, our management bureau cannot interfere if the victims are unwilling to pursue the case,” Zhuang Qing replied with a straight face. “Since there is no more need for us to be here, then we will leave.”
Fu Li swept his gaze across the dragons lying on the ground and realized that a dragon with one horn missing seemed a bit familiar. He wanted to give it a few more looks, yet this dragon unexpectedly shrunk behind a coral stone, as if not wanting to see him.
Even dragons knew how to be shy?
Fu Li shifted his line of sight and coughed dryly. “Although the azure dragon clan is unwilling to pursue the matter, we will still need to take the Kunpeng with us. If any conflict were to happen again, I worry that the azure dragon clan will be at a huge disadvantage.”
The arrogant azure dragon clan was humiliated very badly, but no one dared to say that Fu Li’s words were incorrect, since they were indeed helpless when faced with the Kunpeng.
In the face of absolute power, all methods were useless. During the ancient times, great yao roamed the lands. How had their ancestors survived?
Was their dragon race… truly formidable and unrivaled?
The Kunpeng was in a relatively good mood after wrecking the dragon palace and beating up dragons. Hearing that Fu Li wanted to bring him along, he very cooperatively nodded. “Sure, I’ll give you face and go along with you.”
It seemed that ‘giving face’ was the Kunpeng’s catchphrase.
The Kunpeng and the bureau’s people left, leaving behind the disordered mess that was the azure dragon clan’s Crystal Palace. When the Kunpeng started creating trouble, the azure dragon clan had requested for aid from the other dragon clans, but not even a single clan had sent rescue troops.
After the azure dragon clan finished tidying up the ruined parts, the Dragon King finally dispatched a deputy accompanied by a few chests of useless pearls and words of sympathy.
A bad-tempered azure dragon took the initiative to say mockingly, “His Majesty the Dragon King is truly kind. Even after seeing that us azure dragons didn’t die, people were still dispatched to call on us.”
“This Dragon Lord’s words are harsh,” The deputy sent by the Dragon King was a tortoise who had lived for several thousands of years. Although his cultivation couldn’t be considered high, his eloquence and temper was first rate. He didn’t flare up after being mocked by a junior either. Instead, he said unhurriedly, “His Majesty the Dragon King said that there are only fifty-eight dragons in total among the dragon race, of which half of them belong to your azure dragon clan. The other clans only have a few dragons; they can’t take this gamble.”
“It is a truly beneficial affair for the current cultivation world to have the protection of the management bureau. Although Zhuang Qing has some misunderstandings with our dragon clan, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a dragon. If everyone exercises a bit of restraint, it will be easier to get along in the future,” The tortoise deputy glanced at Qing Yan, who was standing at a corner. “Let go of past grievances.”
Qing Yan cupped his hands, a mild smile on his face. “Deputy Gui"s words are reasonable.”
Fu Li’s group walked out of the barrier the azure dragon clan had erected outside of the Crystal Palace. Suddenly, Fu Li looked at the Kunpeng. “Kunpeng daren, don’t lose control later and eat Zhuang Qing when he transforms into his dragon form.”
“Don’t worry, I already told you many times that dragon meat isn’t actually tasty,” The Kunpeng waved his hands, the exact picture of someone who was not at all tempted by dragon meat. “Transform, transform.”
Zhuang Qing came to a stop and looked at Fu Li. “Don’t pull my hair later.”
Fu Li: …
He couldn’t hitch a ride on the dragon anymore.
Zhuang Qing transformed into his original form. His tail curled around Fu Li, throwing him onto his back. With a shake of his dragon tail, he swam towards the surface of the water.
The Kunpeng turned to look at Wei Cang. Instantly, he said, “I don’t have the habit of carrying tigers, swim back yourself.” Then, he turned into a fish, flapped his fins, and swiftly vanished into the water.
Wei Cang, who had been beaten back several tens of meters by the waves, silently changed into a white tiger. Resigned, he thrust his claws forward and swung his tail hard.
He wasn’t as courageous as Fu Li who dared to even ride dragons.
When they reached the surface, Zhuang Qing flung Fu Li off his dragon back. In the instant he leaped into the air, he transformed into his human form. He didn’t give a single glance to Fu Li, whose face had met with the water.
“Boss, how did it go?” Seeing the situation, Ning Xuan and Chao Yun hurriedly surrounded them.
“It’s fine,” Zhuang Qing looked back. Seeing that Fu Li had already climbed out of the seawater, he continued talking to Ning Xuan. “Get ready to return.”
“Rabbit,” The Kunpeng whispered into Fu Li’s ears. “Why does this dragon have a few injuries on him? Was he punished after enraging the Heavens?”
Fu Li was silent.
Seeing that Fu Li didn’t speak, the Kunpeng very tactfully didn’t pursue the topic.
Behind them, Wei Cang asked all of a sudden, “Seems like it’ll be the Ghost Festival soon?”
“En?” Fu Li looked in confusion at Wei Cang, not understanding why he would suddenly mention such an ordinary matter.
“The doors to the ghost world will open during the Ghost Festival, so it’ll definitely be very lively during those few days,” Wei Cang looked with some antic.i.p.ation at Zhuang Qing. “Who knows if we’ll get a holiday?”
“Even if there’s a holiday, it’ll be the bureau’s ghost cultivators who will be going on holiday. How does it concern us?”
“The Ghost Market will be open,” Wei Cang answered. “I go to the Ghost Market every year for fun. There are a lot of interesting toys there.”
“Ghost Market?” It was Fu Li’s first time hearing of such a thing. White Ape hadn’t told him about it and he hadn’t visited the place.
“You’ve never been there?” Wei Cang was in disbelief. Fu Li was a rabbit yao who was over four thousand years old, how could he not have even been to the Ghost Market? Even a countryside yao would have joined in the fun at the Ghost Market.
“No,” Fu Li shook his head. “I came from a mountain and didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“What are you two doing still standing there? Fishing?” Zhuang Qing looked at the two people. “Go back to work.”
The newcomer Wei Cang didn’t dare to continue talking, so he obediently followed after him.
On the other hand, Fu Li couldn’t help wondering what the Ghost Market would look like as he followed after Zhuang Qing.
“Where are you going?” Zhuang Qing’s voice jolted Fu Li back to reality. “We’ve arrived at the bureau.”
“Zhuang Qing.” Fu Li stabilized his standing posture and asked curiously, “What does the Ghost Market look like?”
“Ghostly,” Zhuang Qing’s expression didn’t change. “Nothing very interesting.”
“Oh,” Fu Li’s head drooped.
Zhuang Qing’s gaze remained on his head for a few seconds before he turned and returned to his office.